Douglas Council has agreed to spend £40,000 on ‘decorative’ lighting which will be set into art panels in the new promenade sea wall.

The Department of Infrastructure asked the council to provide the lighting for its project which is due to be carried out in three stages, starting with a section from the war memorial to outside the Empress Hotel.

The local authority says the money will be sourced from its existing electrical services revenue budget and any spare parts from the lighting will be kept for other projects.

Councillor Falk Horning says the promenade is a ‘focal point’ and Douglas Council has provided lighting for ‘similar projects’ in the past.

Mr Horning said: ‘Douglas City Council is the public lighting authority in the city and this is consistent with other installations we’ve done, for example on the statues.

‘The money has come from under spending in other areas due to a lack of manpower. We’ve not been able to do some of the projects we’ve wanted to do.

‘£40,000 is a lot of money but it’s for the promenade which is a focal point for the city and where many social events are held.

‘This is the kind of location where people take their families out for an ice cream and where visitors to the island go when they come here.’

Mr Horning confirmed that the first phase of installing the lights will begin at the end of January and continue until the end of September.

He said: ‘The next phase, from the Sea Terminal to the sewer storage tanks, will take another few months up until January next year.’